The recently formed Airport West Community Improvement District will have its third meeting Aug. 14 at 11:30 a.m. at Woodward Academy, 1662 Rugby Ave., College Park 30337.

At its July 10 meeting, it set the district’s millage rate at 5 mills.

With an assessed value in excess of $322 million, the district has a budget of more than $1.6 million, according to Nicole McGhee Hall of Nickel Works Consulting LLC, who completed the district’s certification process.

Community improvement districts are formed by commercial and industrial property owners, who agree to tax themselves to pool their funds for infrastructure and transportation improvements, for which matching state and federal funds may be available.

Hall, who will serve as district interim administrator, said immediate improvements will include upgrades to landscaping, public safety and way-finding signage in the hotel district near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The new district began operating June 23, when its inaugural board of directors was elected.

The board is:

 Natalie Martin, Duke Realty, chair

 Vance Burgess, Chick-Fil-A, vice-chair

 Kevin Parrish, Wells Fargo Bank, treasurer

 Shannon James, SunTrust Bank, secretary

 Mark Spanka, Marriott Atlanta Airport

 Austin McDonald, McDonald Development Co.

 Joshua Warthman, The Parking Spot

 Chris Brown, Duke Realty

 Kali Wilson Beyah, Delta Airlines.

District property owners include those listed above and 166 others like Coca-Cola Refreshments USA, McDonald’s Corp., Piedmont Driving Club and Woodward Academy.

A board appointment representing the city of Atlanta is forthcoming.

District boundaries extend from Camp Creek Parkway at Merck Road east to the airport line in Clayton County and along I-85 from Virginia Avenue south to Best Road and Main Street.

With Camp Creek Parkway and Roosevelt Highway as its main arteries, the district includes parts of the cities of Atlanta, College Park and East Point and unincorporated Fulton County.

“This is an awesome collaborative effort,” Hall said in a statement.

Inside the boundaries are 174 property owners, including 140 commercial and 32 industrial.

“This is a major economic development initiative for the south Fulton community, especially with some of the challenges encountered since the effort was started more than a year ago,” Hall said.

Challenges included an amendment to applicable state law in the 2014 session and a two-week deferral by Fulton County in certifying and approving the district in May.

“We are grateful to receive overwhelming support from property owners as well as our elected and community leaders,” Hall said. “We have hit the ground running to plan and achieve key objectives benefiting the first district serving Atlanta’s aerotropolis area.”

The Atlanta Aerotropolis Alliance, subject of a Neighbor story April 2, is an umbrella organization including the new district.

“The Atlanta Regional Commission was instrumental in this effort and the new CID was birthed from the initial effort of the alliance, which was the Airport Area Task Force,” Hall said.

The Camp Creek Parkway Improvement Association was also instrumental in the startup.

“Camp Creek is the gateway to the No. 1 airport in the world, so it is imperative that we develop a partnership between local governments, businesses and the community to give us a world class entry way,” district board chair Martin, who is also the association chair, said in a statement.

Hall said the district is the third south of I-20 and the second in south Fulton.

The South Fulton district was formed in 1999 and the Fulton Industrial Boulevard district in 2010.

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